Quick hitters from the Avalanche’s Game 1 win, 7-2, against Nashville on Tuesday night:
All Hail Cale
Predators goalie David Rittich is going to have nightmares for a long time about his first NHL playoff start. The Avalanche tied a franchise postseason record with five goals in the first period. No Colorado player was more impactful over the scoring onslaught than Cale Makar. The young defenseman’s three points tied for the most ever during a postseason period by an Avalanche/Nordiques player — at any position. Makar assisted on the first two goals of the night to Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews. Then Makar scored on an unassisted beauty with a short-side flip over the shoulder of Rittich. Makar in 36 career NHL postseason games: 34 points (eight goals).
Frustration fighting
A multiplayer skirmish broke out after the second-period buzzer when the Predators appeared to bait Nazem Kadri into a fight. His teammates stepped in to make a statement. Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen and Nashville’s Philip Tomasino each received offsetting 10-minute misconduct penalties in the brawl. Avs forward Josh Manson earned a two-minute roughing penalty. It wasn’t an ideal scenario for either team. But increased Avalanche aggression is a positive sign after a lack of physicality contributed to the team’s second-round playoff exit a year ago. Kadri, with a long history of postseason suspensions, avoided a penalty during the brawl.
Roster decisions
An exceptionally deep Avalanche team nearing full health led to some tough roster decisions for head coach Jared Bednar with several prominent contributors sidelined for Game 1. The healthy scratches for Colorado on Tuesday night: Forwards Alex Newhook and Logan O’Connor, and defensemen Kurtis MacDermid and Jack Johnson. Those four players combined for 71 points (24 goals) during the regular season. Kadri was considered a game-time decision on Tuesday with a non-COVID illness, but he played on the team’s second line with Gabe Landeskog and Lehkonen. Defenseman Ryan Murray (upper-body injury) has returned to practice but has still not been cleared to play. Forward Andrew Cogliano left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.
